Showing posts with label cats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cats. Show all posts

Sunday 1 October 2023

A fleecy tale, Dr Henrietta, and a selfie...

There is no book review this week, as we have no books to read!

Mrs H hasn't got anything lined up for a few weeks as we (read that as she) need to focus on some home decorating, garden shed building, and pre-winter tidying. All this and doing charity knitting for the local sheep.

Why sheep, I hear you ask. Well, Farmer Clarksin tried a new sheering method. Well, let's just say buying cheap depilatory cream from dodgy small ads is bound to go wrong!

Suffice it to say, the local WI (Women's Institute) have a long stretch of knitting ahead of them to make suitable attire for 22 embarrassed ewes. Plans to knit one long scarf to save on making sleeves and buttonholes have now been shelved. Rumour has it Mrs Singh, from Singh's International Food Emporium, has sponsored some of the whole thing. In exchange, she gets to advertise on the sides. She wisely decided that promoting a new range of condiments, including mint sauce, was a non-starter!

OK, enough of the frivolity, here's my selfie!

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kittes Blue and their mum, Janet Blue in America.


Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head.

 

Any suggestions as to what I was saying or thinking. No prizes, I'm afraid, just for the fun of it.....

Oh, and a huge shout out and Thank You from Mrs H and me to my awesome new doctor, Henrietta.

She had been having a very trying day with some felines that had been swearing. Whilst I have been known to have a hissy fit, and be 'hissed off' I do not swear 😉.


 

Till laters!

ERin

Sunday 14 May 2023

VARJAK PAW

 by SF SAID;  

                                                                                        



An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction.


Mrs H is currently tucked up in bed with Hay Fever and a good book, as well as a sherry smoothie. I'd never heard that the latter was a cure for the sniffles, but hey ho, each to their own. 🙂


So without further ado, lets get on with this fabulous book!





AUTHOR:  S F SAID

 

Illustrated throughout by:  Dave McKean

 

Published by: Randomhouse Childrens Books

 

Publication date for Paperback: 2003, so OUT NOW 

 


Paperback ISBN:   978 - 0 - 552 - 57229 - 3

 

Cover price for Paperback is £7.99


KINDLE price is: On offer at £2.99

 

Pages: 255

 

Age range:  8 and upwards


Any dogs or cats? Yes, plus monsterous metal dogs... well, maybe.


 

 

SPOILER ALERT


Some as to plot direction and characters. 

 

 

Thank you to... 

 

We are exceedingly grateful to Mrs H for seeing this in the bookstore and thinking of me and my Read & Review. I will say straight off; it did not disappoint.


As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review. 


First and foremost, the books we review are those we like and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their children, friends, and students will enjoy.

 

The plot

 

Varjak Paw is a Mesopotamian Blue kitten. He lives with his family of Mother, Father, Elder Paw, auntie Juni, elder brother Julius, three litter brothers, and cousin Jasmin. They live atop a hill in an old house set in a high-walled garden. Their human owner is the elderly Contessa. She dotes on them and feeds them the best. Varjak is considered not a true Blue by his kin as he has different coloured eyes from his family.


The world outside the door, through the flap, is not one his family is bothered about, nor do they seek to go out the cat flap as the garden will make them dirty. They have lived there since 'Jalal the Great' fled from Mesopotamia and founded his new home and family with the Contessa.

 

Elder Paw tells stories of Jalal's adventures, but only Varjak now listens. One day, quite out of the blue, a man dressed all in black appears through the front door. A large cat stands on each side of him, black and menacing. Cold and intimidating, the pair act and move in unison. It soon transpires that the Contessa, their loving and doting mistress, who has been so long poorly, has passed away. Whilst Elder Paw is very concerned, and argues they must be prepared to flee their once safe haven, the rest of the family feels it will be of no matter and their lives will stay the same.


Elder Paw is dethroned as head of the family by Varjak's father, and the family lapses into willing ignorance of their fate. All but Varjak and Elder Paw that is. Shunned by his family, a shell of his majesty and former power, Elder takes Varjak into the walled garden, and they discuss matters. Things will be bound to change, that much Elder is sure, and the man in black and his strange cats create an eerie and foreboding feeling. While outside, Elder tells Varjac about the ways of Jalal, the 'Seven Skills in the Way of Jalal'. But only three have been passed down: Slow Time, Moving in Circles, and Shadow Walking. The seven are rules to live by, and more importantly, they are rules to defend oneself and survive in the real world.


But time has indeed run out, and it seems the weak, the old, and the not true to breed, are not wanted. The man in black sets his monstrous two cats on the two in the garden. Sacrificing his life, Elder gives Varjak time to scale the wall and escape.


Now, Varjak is a young and inquisitive cat, but he is in no way prepared for the world he finds beyond the wall. Elder had said he should find a dog, a fierce monstrous beast, talk to it and get it to remove the man from their house. Men, you see, or so the tales went, feared such toothy beasts.


The world outside is cold, wet, and scary. Mistaking the ferocity of motorcars for the monstrous beast that was a dog, Varjak is lucky to escape with his life. 


But this will be but one close and perilous meeting as he travels in search of the beast to save his family from the evil that is this man in black. 

His journey takes him into dark alleyways, and he crosses paths with two gangs of street cats who are fighting for territory and the food that goes with it. Caught between the factions, Varjak is very much an innocent abroad . . . .


Will he survive the day or the gangs, let alone find a dog? And if they don't get him, whatever is 'vanishing' cats from the streets very well might! With odds stacked against him, he finds help from a very unexpected source when he least expects it. 

That, my dear readers, is as far as I dare reveal the tale. 


What did we think? If you don't want extra spoilers, PLEASE skip this next paragraph.

 

I was captivated and in awe of such compelling writing. The shift from one level of consciousness to another, when Varjak gets to meet and be taught by Jalal, is a delightful and natural way to enlarge and drive forward the story dramatically and, occasionally, sadly. 

 

This review would only be complete by mentioning the artwork within and without by David McKean. There is an edge to it that is sometimes hard and brutal, yet at others, so subtle and ghostlike. Arguably, this juxtaposition is much like a cat (and dog). It certainly offers, as the best artwork does, an extra dimension that helps shape the reader's thoughts. 


So . . . 

Crunch time. 

 

I think cat lovers, and lovers of good writing of all ages, will love this adventure. The elegance of the writing, the description of the cats, their lives and manners and their aura make for such a rich, compelling and easy-going read. Richard Adams, who wrote adventures including Shardick and Watership Down, said of this story, "The cat magic mystique is brilliant." Little wonder this book has won awards.

 

It is a modern classic made, and worthy of anyone's shelf.

 

Want to buy a copy?


To get a copy, please duck, dive and scale massive walls and savage (possibly) dogs to get to your local independent bookshop. Plenty are out there; each shop just waits to serve whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.

 

 

SF SAID's web page can be found HERE or type this: http://www.sfsaid.com/

 

Random House Childrens web page can be found HERE or type this: https://www.rhcbooks.com/

 

David McKean's web page can be found HERE or type this: http://www.davemckean.com/

 

And now, the Sunday Selfie. 

 

We are joining Janet Blue from the Cat on My Head blog for the weekly parade of selfies from all manner of companion creatures from across the pond and around the globe. 


To go to Janet's blog selfie page, please click this LINK. or type / cut and paste  https://thecatonmyhead.com/breakfast-is-late/


And finally, here is my selfie, posed in front of my personal chipped doorway. Many have tried to enter, but none have succeeded in munching my treats! No wonder I look happy! 🙂 🙂

 

Erin the Cat © sits upright on her haunches before her cat flap.
Could do with a spring clean around here... Mrs H!

 

Till laters!

ERin

Sunday 26 February 2023

A sort of 'Book Free' Sunday selfie!

 Mrs H has pretty much recovered from her sore heads. So this week we return to a hastily (one hour ago) visit to Upper Much-Mousing, to see what has been going on . . . .

 

"Do you have to make that noise, dear?" The intermittent bursts of scratching and groans of disappointment from the chair on the other side of the fireplace finally made Mrs H look up from her knitting and crossword. She glowered at Erin over the top of her glasses.

"Umm, well, I was just trying to win big on this lottery scratch card we got from Mrs Singh. Buy any three SSS - Singh's Super Sassy curry from her takeaway menu and get a free scratch card."

"You got. I didn't buy any. A complete waste of time no doubt." Mrs H frowned. "Well, if nothing else, it explains the silver residue blocking the vacuum cleaner. I was begining to think the woodworm had changed their diet!"

Erin eyed the large pile of cards on the table and the stack of silver shavings on the cushion, and groaned inwardly. Maybe she had gotten carried away. But then again, as she saw it, Mrs H wouldn't have to cook supper until at least the summer.

"And what, may I ask, are the prizes? If it's more curry, I'll have to ban you from using the credit card this month. You can't move in the freezer for frozen takeaways."

Erin sighed deeply. "I've been trying to get the three cream pot symbols in a row. That's the top prize! But I've only found one cram pot."

Mrs H's right eyebrow raised in half surprised half enquiring manner. "And what do you win for three pots? No, let me guess, a large pot of Mrs Singh's spicey cat nip cheese topping?"

"No, what made you say that?" Erin looked quizically at her housekeeper.

"Well, it's just a large jar that arrived this morning. I wasn't sure if it was wrongly ordered when that Percy pigeon went astray last week."
 
"Ahh, no. That was my prize when I got three spiders in a row."

"Well, that's something you don't see too often, especially around here," Mrs H muttered to herself, knowing how keen Erin had been to make new friends.

"No, the top prize is a year's worth of cream! And the second, for three mice in a row, is a year's worth of Nice Mice Vegan Treats. The third you'll like, Mrs H – six bottles of Mrs Singh's home brew XXX Catnip Sherry!"

"Hmm." Mrs H's eyes widened slightly. "I think I can see a certain merit in this after all. Encourages careful meal planning."

"Exactly" Erin nodded her head vigorously.

"Saves on use of electricty and washing up time and materials."

"Absolutely!" Erin said, "We can spend more time relaxing."

"Not to mention bicycle wear and tear, and the fuel and servicing the Brough Superior." Mrs H was clearly getting into the swing of things.

"Dont forget fiscal restraint. You always tell me to do that. Save the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves, is what you always say." Erin had leaned forwards, sending a shower of dust to the floor along with three spent scratch cards to add to the collection on the hearth rug.

"Couldnt have put it better myself, dear. Yes, I think this could be a wise move indeed. Do you have any of those cards spare? . . . . "

                                                                            ***
 
Well, folks, that is where we leave Erin and Mrs H for another week. Will the Manor House's petty cash and housekeeping money be drained by next week? Will Erin ever get the supply of cream? Will Mrs H get to finish knitting the scarves for the orphan kittens?

To find out, or possibly not, tune in next time!

Now before the selfie of the week, we are pleased to announce, somewhat late, the winners of a copy of the fabulous 'The Lighthouse Bookshop' written by Newt's mum, Sharon Gosling.

It was reviewed by Mrs H last year – see the review via this link. The winners are our USA pal Meowmeowman from the blog Animal Shelter Volunteer Life, and The J Cats, in Israel.

Congratulations to you both!

Please send me your addresses in a separate comment, which we will then delete/not publish. And we will post your prizes as soon as possible!

And now for the selfie!

We are joining the Sunday Selfies hosted by the excellent Janet Blue over at the Cat on my Head blog.


 
Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This....©



 

Sunday 19 February 2023

The EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES of Alice Tonks

by EMILY KENNY;  

                                 


   
                                                    

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction.


We dive straight in to this week's review, as Mrs H has been suffering from not one but TWO bouts of mild concussion. Sadly it hasn't stopped her keeping tabs on how much food and the number of treats she's given me. I wonder if it will be a case of third time lucky . . . .

Anyways, as she's had a sore head, theres no news from Upper Much-Mousing, save to say, if theres no news, likely as not the villagers are up to no good. So watch this space!

Let the show commence!


 


AUTHOR: Emily Kenny

Cover art by: Flavia Sorrentino

Published by: One World Publications

Publication date for Paperback: Out NOW!

Paperback ISBN: 978-0-86154-205-5

Cover price for Paperback: £7.99

Pages:335

Target age range: 8 to 11

Any furry companions? Yes; a cat, dogs, and many others, too.



SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters.

Thank you to... 


I am exceedingly grateful to Mrs H for getting this book for me to Read & Review. It has been on my PERSONAL MUST READ list since I heard about it.


As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review. 


First and foremost, the books we review are those we like and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they and their children and friends and students will enjoy.



The plot


11-year-old Alice is having the worst day EVER. She's tried to be 'Nice Alice'. To smile. To be nice to her Gran, who packed her trunk so full of uniforms that there was no room for her favourite animal encyclopedias. To be nice Alice on the packed train, her head squished against a window that was home to at least 3 dead flies. Even when she'd to shake the sweaty hand of the teacher at the train station. 

 

It was her Gran's idea to go to Pebblewood boarding school (Pebbles to the students) in the seaside town of Pebblehampton. It would be a nice new start for Alice, Gran had said. She didn't want to let her down, but things were stacking up, and Alice was struggling to stay calm. School and beaches are NOT Alice's thing, especially together. Arriving at the Welcome Day in a tight old, bobbly swimsuit to find the other kids and families poshly dressed was terrible enough. New people to sit amidst and hot sand was really too much. The last straw was the seaweed, its horribly stinky, gloopy green and length clinging to her foot. Alice's throat tickled, her fingers twitched, and the octopus that had been squirming in her tummy was rearing up angrily, tentacles waving. Alice's genuine anxiety POPPED, and she screamed at Gran. All went silent on the beach, and everyone stared at Alice, doing nothing to help her stress.

 

Alice had to get away. Gran's apologies and Alice's realisation of what she had said came to her, and she had to find somewhere to calm down, relax, and destress. She wished she hadn't come. Nobody would be her friend, especially not now. They'd all think she was weird, even the teachers. Sometimes being Alice Tonks really sucked!

 

Finding a spot to calm down, a friendly face in the guise of Timothy Crossley-Herbert the Third, Tim for short, comes with the gift of an ice cream to cheer her up. Dressed in a very smart and wholly inappropriate for the hot beach school uniform, he is as uncomfortable at being there as she is and as friendless.

 

Anyway, whilst Alice is alone in her spot, a gull lands. Having finished her ice but knowing how gulls love hot chips, she apologises and says she has none. Having furtively looked each way. "It's not your chips I'm after, Alice Tonks," the seagull said sternly. "We've got a job for you."


The next day finds Alice actually starting school. Having made amends with Gran, she is determined to give Pebbles a go. The speaking gull was very real, or so it seemed. But she decides not to tell anyone just the same. 

 

As she gets the first-day tour of the school, Alice, out of the corner of one eye, spots an image of a gull in the school's stained glass window waving at her! As Tim, who was with her, didn't, and not wishing to seem weirder, Alice let it slip.


Alice gets to share her room with Ottie, a confident, pleasant scholastic girl who is at her third boarding school. She soon helps Alice settle in. And despite Ottie wanting to put fairy lights around her bed and play music, all seems good. Alice is certainly not going to tell Ottie she's autistic. When a few minutes later, a gull starts tapping at the dorm window, Alice knows there is something she needs to do. Find the gull and see what it wants!

 

Sneaking out of school and back along a path to the beach, Alice soon meets the gull. To Alice's surprise, it does speak. It says in a somewhat put-out fashion that, of course it can! Humans aren't the only ones that can talk! More importantly, it came to tell her something. But these are perilous times, it says, and it is not safe to talk on the beach. The peril is that wild animals and pets in the area are being taken. Vanishing without a trace! And the animals want to know why and have formed the LSPDA (the Loyal Society for the Prevention of Danger to Animals), and Alice can help them. And most importantly, to trust nobody! But before Alice can glean more, Agent T – the gull, departs and tells Alice to await his messenger.

 

The following day, Ottie persuades Alice to go to a secret den beneath an old oak tree on the cliff top, somewhere they can call their own special place. Tim comes along too. The threesome makes a good group, though given Agent T's warning, she will not tell Tim or Ottie about the missing animals or talking gulls. While heading back to school in the dying light, they see and hear some men doing something in the cove and then heading out to sea. Could they be smugglers?


Now, of all the teachers, only one seems chilled out and warm to Alice. And that is Miss Jessops, the librarian. It certainly isn't Mr Marlowe, the Head Master who has different meals and wears an air of self-importance, a disdain for children who don't excel in his biology class, the other staff and animals. And certainly not the severe, high-heeled Mrs Salter, the housemistress, who finds sugar disagrees with her. 

 

But suddenly, shortly after being summoned out of class by Mr Marlowe, Ottie turns her back on Alice and becomes friends with two rather nasty girls. When her now sole friend, Tim, has to go to band practice, Alice ends up alone in the library. That is when she meets Constance, an educated, silver-grey tabby cat with an aloof manner. She is also a member of the LSPDA, and eventually takes Alice to a secret meeting with the animals.

 

With the stage set, the book really takes off. From here on in, Alice's course leads her to discover that she is a 'switcher', someone who can talk to animals. 

 

She and Tim start to gather evidence. While ostensively on the smugglers in the cove, Alice thinks they are the animal snatchers. But something is up with Tim, and Alice soon realises there is something he is not sharing.

 

With multiple possible prime suspects among the school staff, and more members of the LSPDA vanishing, Alice's attempt to find the villain and stop the thefts takes a dramatic turn when she loses a close friend to the snatchers. Their motives are unclear, but when Tim is turned against Alice, and she has a near-death experience, it seems time has run out. 


It is hard to draw a definitive line reviewing a story as readable as this. But I think you'll find there is so much here to enjoy that this will just tickle your tastebuds.



So, what did we think?


Truthfully, bedtime couldn't come quick enough so I could catch up with Alice's adventure, and Mrs H only put this down when she fell asleep.

 

I genuinely rooted for Alice, given the situations, pressures and choices she has to make, some of which we, too, have felt. 


I also loved – a strong word, I know, but true – the way the creatures in this adventure had as important a place as Alice. They weren't just the cause of her investigation but the surprising essence of the resolution. Intrigued? You'll just have to read the book to find out about that!


Alice gets to become part of their world whilst still in her own. A hard trick to pull off well, I feel, but Emily did this with aplomb! Their characters were delightful and demonstrated a range of feelings people forget that all sentient creatures have. I think it actually touched on Richard Adams' way of writing animals, which many younger readers won't have come across, but I happen to love. 


There are some really skilful twists in this, central and ancillary, especially towards the end. That said, the plot builds evenly throughout and is as busy as a bee with a route plan, gathering facts and setting the scene, all done in a warming, engaging fashion.


Make no mistake, this book is all about the adventure. Yes, Alice's autism is part of who she is, as it is me, yet it is incidental; as in real life, it is one wonderful flavour amidst the many that go to make not only Alice and this extraordinary tale so compelling, but each and every one of you out there.


The story has a lot of heart. It ably bridges different worlds and has themes of discovering friendships, trust, compassion and understanding for all sentient beings around us. 



So . . . . 


Crunch time. 


Buy this for your kids, for you. You never need an excuse to read good literature. It is an adventure that made me hark back to the thrill of discovering Watership Down. We have Alice's book on Audible and paperback, and we recommend both. 


I am careful about using the word magical for fear of suggesting something else. And whilst Alice and Co have what I'd prefer to call 'a special gift' or 'talent', I draw no comparison to books of magic and wizards. But like most of the books we get to review for you, dear reader, this book DOES have a pinch of something special, a flavour of its own and as such deserves a place in your hearts.

 

It takes books like this to make the world a warmer, more compassionate and better place. And teaching this to kids is where it all starts. 


I messaged Emily last night, and she kindly confirmed for us there will be a sequel, and she is working on it at the moment! So DO watch this space as we will review it. I am hoping we can get a copy before publication so you can get an order placed in advance.



Want to buy a copy?


To get a copy, missing stinky sticky congealing seaweed, and gulls who may or may not be after your chips, please head to your local independent bookshop (bobbly swimsuit optional). Like gulls and not the swimsuit (though I could be wrong), there are lots of book shops out there. Each is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.




Emily Kenny's web page can be found by clicking HERE or type this: https://emilykenny.co.uk/


One World Publications' web page can be found by clicking HERE or type this:
https://oneworld-publications.com/


Flavia Sorentino's web page can be found by clicking HERE or type this: https://flaviasorr.com/



We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by Janet Blue of the Cat on My Head blog. 


So I shall leave you with a suitable laid back on side selfie to match what I hope will be your day! 🙂 🙂





Till laters!

ERin